Microsoft surprises fans as four AOE games are announced

Yesterday, Microsoft held an Age Of Empires Live event at GamesCon to celebrate the 20th anniversiry of Age Of Empires. Wait, Age Of Empires is twenty years old? I suddenly feel very old. Who knew that a games conference could give you existential angst.

The “main event” was going to be the announcement of the release date for Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition. This game is a remastered version of the classic: New graphics, new score, new and modern multiplayer. Still the same gamplay we all loved and spent countless ours on. Wololo shouts were heard in the audience (they sounded horrible, by the way.).

However, that was not the “Big, special announcement” that Microsoft had in mind. After all, we’d all known that the remastered version of Age 1 was coming. No, they had something completely different up their sleeve.

Near the end of the show, Microsoft dropped a bomb shell. They not only announced the released the release date of the Definitive Edition of Age 1.While they were at it, they also announced that they will be remastering Age Of Empires 2 and Age Of Empires 3 whom will get the same treatment (new graphics, music, …).

But wait, there is more!

While the audience was already thinking “Holy shit, that’s a lot of Age Of Empires announcements” they kept something else up their sleeve. All evening long, Microsoft had been talking about how much they appreciate PC gamers and the Age Of Empires fans. And they had an extra surprise in store.

Out of nowhere, Microsoft announced that Relic Entertainment (of Dawn of War fame) has started development on Age Of Empires IV. It’s still early days so only a brief trailer was shown, but the crowd went wololo.

So, there you have it. On an evening where Microsoft was expected to give us the date of Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition they announced two other remastered versions and a brand new Age Of Empires IV. Are you surprised? I sure was.